Two-spotted Spider Mites

 

Some may think this article should fall in the category of “sleeping with the light on” but I am not so sure.  We’ve had some relatively hot dry weather lately and I think spot checking for spider mites would be a good practice in the very near future if not now.  Spider mites are not something you want to miss because populations can be hard to control once they get out of hand.  Especially if dry weather continues.

 

Places I would concentrate scouting efforts on would be field areas where there are obvious symptoms of drought stress including sandy knolls as well as field edges.  Look for plant symptoms called stippling and/or spider mites themselves.  Although spider mites are hard to see use magnification (10X) and look on the undersides of leaves.  Also, hold a white sheet of paper under leaves and tap leaves to dislodge the mites on to the white sheet of paper.

 

 

 

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?